Pagan Mystery
by Captain Vulcan
Summary: Since the emergence of divine spirits in Gensokyou, both humans and youkai assume the end of days. A new god arises from the shrouds of fear and claims that she can save the world. Who is she? Keine is willing to find out along with Suwako's help.
1. The End Of Days

Totally unexpected...

**STORY RATING: PG-13/T For Teens – **Contains mild language and comic mischief.

**DISCLAIMER: **The Toujou Project is created by ZUN of Shanghai Alice and therefore it is rightfully his property. This is a work of fan fiction that is based on his legal property.

**TOUHOU PROJECT**

**PAGAN MYSTERY**

**Prologue**

**The End Of Days**

A young woman ventures the outskirts of the Human Village. Her long dark hair were caressed by the brisk autumn wind. The soft blades of grass tickled the toes of her small feet in sandals. The temperature was cool and the woman was wise to wear a long haori over her kimono this evening. Both the moon and the sun were visible in the sky. The brilliant face of the moon was silvery blue in color and the sun was merging into the horizon, providing daylight in the Occident. A symphony of fallen grass crunched as she marched towards her destination. There were no sign of youkai anywhere. That god was right.

A youkai wouldn't roam around here anyway. None of those creatures would dare attack a human in a location so close to the village. The appointed place was ideal. Besides, the god would personally see to it that she get rid of any bold youkai that would attack the woman this evening. There was noting for her to fear. The youth smiled, reminiscing the deity's reassuring words.

_**'Do not worry, mortal. I'll see to it that you won't be harmed by youkai nor the various spirits roaming around as of late.'**_

Spirits. Ghosts. Since the eve of the new incident those phantasmal beings came in droves. The outbreak of the spirits were nigh explainable and it unnerved both human and youkai. Wisps of spirits were seen here and some were seen there. They were seen at the village. Some hovered around the Forest of Magic. There were reports of ghost sightings at the Hakurei Shine, over at Youkai Mountain, Eintei, and even at the foreboding abode of the Scarlet Devil. Ghosts were everywhere.

It could very well mean the end of the world.

Since the emergence of the ghastly kind many people began fearing the worst. The spirits were a sign. The world is struggling in a battle with a disease called overpopulation. Some say that the earth is in the rasps of it's last breath. Others say that the planet will soon rot, becoming a gigantic ball of dust and gas before dispersing into the abyss known as the universe. The end of the world was a very nightmarish concept to imagine. Maybe... the sightings of the spirits were a wonderfully peaceful prelude to the cataclysmic destruction to come? Who knows...

These were rather unsettling times.

Science didn't provide any answers for such phenomena (little of what Gensokyou had, anyway). Nor did sorcery. Although it's considerably more helpful than science when dealing with the affairs of the occult, it ultimately couldn't explain the incident in greater detail. So... what does that leave? Where can we go from here? What's next? Who can humanity and youkai-kind turn to?

It's simple, actually. Religion.

Faith.

Virtue.

Creeds.

**Gods.**

Gods. The ultimate answer. The highest of the hierarchy. The very beings that held dominion over youkai, humans, beast, and pretty much anything else in the known cosmos. Yes, the gods will come to their rescue – all eight million of them. By the decree of The One Above All they will certainly save the planet. At such dark times, faith was in abundance. Faith was spread like a plague. Forgotten deities made their glorious reappearance to this realm because of the incredible amount of faith. Faith was beautiful. Faith was whimsical. It was the very bloodline of the world's prolonged existence. The stuff was like an aphrodisiac to those beings. Divinity has returned.

Gods everywhere! Big gods. Little gods. Beautiful gods. Not so beautiful gods. Young gods. Old gods. Very few of them were around every since the planet's infancy. They were wise, powerful beings. Very very few of them were once youkai... and even fewer were once human. In this world there exist beings known as super youkai. A 'super' youkai are youkai that are very long-lived and utterly power. Some would go as far as calling their power incomprehensible. Such youkai are on the verge of youkai perfection and they are very... very rare. A super youkai is a beautiful creature – gentle and human-like in appearance. Yet, they exhibit very youkai-like behavior. Here's a very interesting tidbit about these oddly godlike creatures: they're all female. Never had there ever been a male super youkai.

Utterly unbelievable. Super youkai are capable of altering reality (somewhat) and even wiping entire armies of sterile warriors on a whim. These women are very on their way of becoming gods themselves. However, no matter how mighty or radical their powers may be, the gods still held dominion over them... full bred gods. Unlike super youkai and their wicked reputations, gods do not bear their fangs for they are extremely capable beings. Contrary to popular beliefs, it is very difficult to sense a god's power. On the other hand, a super youkai's power can be easily detected, sending chills down the spines of humans, beasts, and lower youkai. With this contrast in mind, a wise person would be aware that a god is far more powerful than a super youkai. It's rather difficult to believe but a god's power are several leagues greater than that of a super youkai.

Super youkai. They were totally incapable of saving the world.

Only a god can save this planet. Hopefully, the youth can convince this new god into doing such a momentous task. The god instructed the youth to meet her in the small forest just outside of the Human Village. Chances of encountering youkai there were unlikely. She had nothing to fear. _Right. She told me to meet her at the same location where I first met her. She should be around here somewhere._

A cool bluster of wind suddenly claimed the area, causing the youth to embrace herself for warmth. The breeze teased the slit of the slender woman's kimono and provided a slight glimpse of her broad upper thighs. If there were any wandering eyes present she would blush in embarrassment. She was rather sensitive about her legs. Her build was surprisingly lithe for someone with an impressive pair of legs. It was a little difficult for others to understand why she wants to 'put off a few pounds'. Good luck on her so-called diet.

Suddenly, a presence appeared. "Ah. You made it."

The woman gasped at the sound of the voice and turned her wide eyes at the owner. There, before her very eyes, was a magnificent looking woman who sat upon a black cloud. She was a beautiful and horrifying sight: red eyes, blackish-blue hair, and rose colored full lips on her otherworldly debonair face. The colors of the god's heavenly garbs were blue, black, and silver. The mortal girl can see a faint red glow emanating around the god's shoulders and shawls. The mysterious god was a friendly being but she was indeed intimidating. Any mortal would be shaken by the sight of a woman riding on a couch-sized thunderhead.

"Good evening," the young woman greeted with a bow. "We meet again."

"Yes. Quite," the goddess replied in kind. "That was an amazing book you've given me the other day. It was a wonderful tale."

The mortal girl's face brightened. "Really? I am honored! That was one of my best novels among my collection, Oumoko-sama!"

Oumoko giggled like a child, a suspicious sound. "Please. Just call me Oumoko."

"Right. Oumoko it is," the woman acknowledged.

"Oumoko-sama," another female voice shouted.

"Eh? Another mortal present this evening?" Oumoko intoned delightfully. "The more the merrier."

"Huh?" The woman thought as the stranger approached them. Once she got a good look at the newcomer, her eyes glistened in recognition. "Uwah! I know you. You're one of Keine's older students at the school."

The second girl made her presence known. She was a tad younger than the first believer – a schoolgirl. She was a wide eyed youth with brown eyes and auburn hair. "Oh wow! I know you. You used to be a youkai hunter," the child said, noting the noirette. "So you met Oumoko too, I see."

"Yes, less than a week ago to be precise," the fertile youkai huntress replied. "By the way... shouldn't you be at home? It's past curfew. Kotohime is going to be angry if she sees a child out wandering around at this time of night."

"Oh, Kotohime," the spunky youth scoffed. "I don't need to worry about her. She's over in the tavern right now and probably drinking herself into a coma even as we speak. She's ranting about the world coming to an end and stuff because of all the ghosts flying around."

"Still, it's not safe to wander around here by your lonesome," the leggy woman lightly chided. A few wisps of spirits emerged from deep in the forest, gliding past the mortals and the god without incident. "You see? Ghosts are showing up everywhere – even around the village."

"I dunno..." the schoolchild remarked hesitantly as she watched the spirits go about their business. "They seem pretty harmless to me. Plus, they're kinda cute."

The ex-youkai hunter's mouth flew open in a stupor. "Hah?"

"Yea," the younger mortal nodded. "I guess they're not so bad. I mean, being dead for who knows how long must really suck. I guess this is their way of taking a little vacation from death. I don't think the world is coming to an end."

"Of course not," the goddess agreed. "Everyone should go out and have fun every once in a while – even the dead. Besides, I'll see to it that the world shall not end. Believe in me and you shall have nothing to fear."

The mortal women gazed into the eyes of their deity. "Yes, we believe..."

Oumoko. Who is this mysterious deity? Is she truly a god among the eight million in the land? Since her recent appearance in Gensokyou she has already amassed a fair number of believers. That in itself was an impressive feat for an otherwise unknown god. She assures her followers that the ghosts are harmless and everything will be just fine.

But, can she truly save the world? Are the spirits really a threat to the planet's existence? The tale unfolds...

**HUMAN VILLAGE ACADEMY**

**The Next Day**

Keine had a lot on her mind today. It was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate on the notes she was jotting on the chalkboard. A fair number of her students were absent today – something she immediately noticed since the eve of the new incident. There were even a few students contemplating on dropping out of school. The decrease of students were alarming and the gossips among the village increased. The rumors going around town were quite stupid, actually. They were saying that the world was due to expire in a matter of time. The constantly seen spirits were the harbingers of the planet's imminent destruction.

Ridiculous!

Keine broke the chalk in her hands as an irritable sigh escaped her. Only ten students were present today in her class, all teenagers. Eight of the students were female and two of them were male. They too were muttering the rumors of the end while she lectured. The history of the Suwa War was the last thing on their minds. The mild-mannered half-beast had some headbutting to do.

"I've met the new goddess in the forest again," one of the girls said.

"Really? Sounds cool," another girl giggled. "What's her name?"

"Her name's Oumoko," the girl replied. "She's a little scary but she's awesome!"

"Oh," one of the two boys perked up. "My parents met her the other day. They talk about her nonstop."

Keine cleared her throat. "Class..."

"I know, right?" The first girl prattled. "Yesterday she told me and a youkai hunter that the ghosts are harmless. I kinda had a feeling that they were, though."

"Harmless, huh? I thought so. I mean, all they're doing are floating around Gensokyou and stuff," a third girl commented.

"Class..."

"That's good to know," the boy sighed in relief. "It could have been worse, though. The other day a cute youkai girl wearing a light blue dress crept up on me from out of nowhere. She scared the living daylights out of me."

"Ooh! I know who you're talking about! She hangs out with a nue girl and they both enjoy scaring people. The nue even showed up in my nightmares the other night. Super creepy!"

"Class...!"

"I haven't see much youkai lately, though. I guess most of them were spooked off by the ghosts. Serves them right!"

"CLASS!"

The students ceased their gossip cold. Their teacher regained their attention fair and square. "Class... just what in the Moriya goddesses' names are you talking about now?" She wondered, subconsciously grinding the piece of chalk in her palm. "I hope all this talk isn't about the end of the world again. That's just downright depressing."

"No ma'am," the first girl responded. "The world's definitely not coming to an end, sensei. Oumoko-sama assures that it won't."

Keine's voice lilted in confusion. "Come again?"

"The new goddess that appeared recently," the child continued. "Oumoko – that's her name."

"Yes yes, I heard what you said," Keine sighed and sat on the teacher's desk. "And really... you have to wonder about the emergence of these so-called 'new gods' lately. I know that there are many gods in this world but-"

"Keine-sensei, Oumoko-sama's a real goddess," the student passionately intervened. "She even rides on a cloud for goodness' sake. How impressive is that?"

"Teri, please don't interrupt me while I'm talking," Keine sighed, removing her glasses. Suddenly, her student's words finally registered. "Wait a minute. Did you say that this goddess travels on a cloud?"

"Yes ma'am," Teri nodded. "She looks kinda spooky with it too, but she's really friendly. She don't want much from her followers either. She is satisfied with books, child games, and idle chit-chat. Oumoko-sama says that she gathers faith that way. It's the simple things that we all take for granted."

Keine bit her rose colored lips. "Hmm... Is that a fact? This Oumoko seems a little socially depraved if you ask me. Seems to me that she only seeks company and social activity with her followers."

Teri's playful countenance became serious. "And because of that the world still turns. Our Gensokyou still remains."

Keine crossed her legs as she prodded her chin in thought. "Interesting..." The schoolteacher was suspicious. Maybe her student was misinformed. Maybe this new goddess was not a goddess. For all she knew this Oumoko was probably a very cunning ghost who uses her godlike appearance to her advantage. This goddess appears to be an opportunist as she 'promotes' herself and take advantage of the numerous spirits roaming around the land. Truth be told, she personally wanted to see this goddess herself. "I wonder... could she be the reason behind all the ghosts we're seeing? I actually would like to meet this goddess myself."

"Ooh, I'm going to meet her again today, sensei," Teri chirped. "You can come along with me if you life."

Keine gasped. "Really?"

"Yes, Oumoko-sama love meeting scholars from the village. She would be delighted to hear about your academic experience, sensei."

Keine hesitated. "I see..." She gazed at the skies beyond the classroom's window. It was a overcast day and the darkness of the wide clouds were unsettling. More so, a spirit drifted by while wandering aimlessly among the living. Maybe the world _was _coming to an end.

The school bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

"Right. Class dismissed. We will continue our history lesson of Suwa on Monday," Keine informed as she hopped off the desk. The sparse class packed their books and belongings and exit the room, save for Teri. She was more than happy to introduce her teacher to her god. "As for you, I suppose that you will bring me along with you. When and where are you meeting Oumoko?"

"Ah, she's going to show up at the pond just outside the village," Teri chimed, placing a bookmark in a rather lengthy textbook. "We should head out there in another hour. Do you have anything that you would like to share, Keine-sensei?"

"Share?"

"Yea," Teri nodded. "She likes to read books and stuff. I'm willing to bet that she would love to get a hold of some of your history texts." A giggle suddenly erupted from her. "Oh, and she's also quite fond of reading romance novels. Heh-he! I do believe that Victorian romances are among her favorite. Let her borrow one and she will be your best friend."

The hanyou scholar suddenly blushed as she pursed her lips. "Do tell..."

**FOREST – CAVE ENTRANCE OF OLD HELL**

Utsuho Reiuji yawned as she took in the sight of the melancholy scenery before her eyes. The skies were dark with rainfall likely to occur any moment now and the forest was shrouded in a thick, gloomy fog. The current temperature was cool, which is usual for the autumnal time of year. To the hell raven the misty air was rather pleasant. It was definitely better than the sometimes stale air of Old Hell. She really needs to visit the surface word more. "This is nice," she commented, inhaling the crisp cool air.

"Okuu, look," Rin Kaenbyou alerted, pointing her left index finger at a phenomenon before her. "Do you see that?"

The raven haired nuclear goddess sauntered off to a bare tree near the cave. "That's a spirit, right? You see these things a lot, don't you?" She watched the spirit as it swirled and danced around a dead tree. Even among the thick fog she could see the spirit clearly. "It's kinda cute. Aren't you gonna try to capture it?"

"I dunno," Orin remarked with slight consternation. Four more wisps joined the lone spirit in haunting the forest. "There's... something different about them. They're surely not the same kinds of spirits that I bring into the Blazing Hell."

"Uwah!" Okuu giggled with a wide open mouth as two of the wisps encircled her suddenly. The interesting thing is that one of them hovered around the raven's breasts as if caressing them. "Oh-ho! That tickles!" The spirit seemed to ignore the large red eye in the center of her chest. "Look Orin! It likes me! Hehehe!"

Rin stared at the peculiar scene flatly. "It's molesting you, Okuu," she deadpanned.

The spirit suddenly flicked it's tail and the hell raven's luscious bosom bounced enticingly. "Unyuu," asked the confused birdbrain. "What are you talking about?"

Orin planted her hands on her hips while surveying the hovering spirit in disgust. "That _thing_ is playing with your titties, Okuu."

Pink invaded Okuu's cheeks as a blissful smile claimed her face. "And it feels so good~!"

"Argh," Orin face-palmed. She grabbed a handle of her wheelbarrow. "Step aside. This naughty spirit has earned it stay in hell."

"No!" Okuu cried, defending the spirit. "I won't let you take it, Orin!"

"Get outta my way, Okuu!" Orin spat. "It's my job anyway!"

"No no no!" Okuu nodded her head fervently. "It was just having a little fun! It doesn't deserve to get thrown into the pit!"

"Besides," a soft and lilting voice spoke, "you not able to capture it anyway, Orin."

"Satori-sama!" Okuu yelped.

"What do you mean by that, Satori-sama?" Orin wondered with complexity. "I know that there's something a bit different about these spirits but I still should be able to bring them to the Blazing Hell."

"Its not as easy as it seems, Orin," the beautiful sovereign of the deserted hell informed. "You see... the spirits that you see before you aren't ordinary one. These beings are not the ones that you are accustomed to dealing with. They're _divine _spirits."

"Divine spirits..." the hellcat echoed.

"Yes, while I'm not particularly familiar with such spirits, I do know that they are rather different from the ones you collect for hell's conflagrations," Satori explained. True to her status as hell's ruler, the telepathic girl had her pink locks done in a short hime-styled bob. "I'm afraid that these spirits do not belong in our hell."

"Eh? Satori-sama, what are you doing up here above the surface?" Okuu wondered as the molesting spirit flitted away. "I thought you weren't fond of this place."

"On the contrary, the upper world is a beautiful place, Okuu." Satori replied as she suddenly looked sad for a moment. "It's just the humans and youkai here that I'm not terribly fond of. Ahem – anyway, I've heard the commotion about the spirits among the people of Chireden. I couldn't help but read their frantic thoughts. The oni has among the most interesting of thoughts, though. They tell me... that the world is coming to an end."

"Unyuu!"

"That's ridiculous!" Orin yelped. "What do those musclebound drifters know?"

"Oni don't lie, Orin. Their fears are indeed real and nothing scares an oni more than the end of days," Satori relayed sagely. "Its odd, really. People have been predicting the end of the world even long before my ancestors were born. I'm very curious about the emergence of the divine spirits. Maybe they are the harbingers of the end."

"That's horrible," Orin trembled.

Okuu looked particularly frightened. She didn't say anything.

"Yes, its scary, but that's how it is," Satori continued. "My father once told me that death is the ultimate fairness. Everyone and everything will eventually disappear. Youths, elders, the wealthy, the poor... beasts, humans, youkai, and perhaps gods. My children, even planets and stars die."

Okuu hung her head. Depressed. "Unyuu..."

"Sister," a chirpy voice suddenly dispelled the blue mood. "There you are!"

"Koishi!" Satori and her pets choruses in surprise.

The whimsical youkai hugged her elder sister and group-hugged Okuu and Orin. "What's up? Its really pretty out here today! It's all gloomy and stuff!"

Satori was caught completely off guard because of her sister's sudden appearance. The usual. She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't glad to see Koishi. "Koishi, what a surprise. Where have you been?" Satori noticed that her sister's silver hair was now long and wavy and she has grown taller than both Orin and herself.

"I was among the human village earlier," Koishi giggled. "They're creep out by the ghosts as well, guys. They think it's the end of the world but I met a girl at the school that knows about a new god."

"What?" Orin wondered.

"A new god?" Satori murmured, her eyes shifting towards Okuu. "Could it be that the girl is talking about you, Okuu?"

Okuu, clueless as ever, said "Unyuu? Beats me."

"Not her, Big Sister," Koishi chided with a cute pout. "It's a new god. One that even rides on a cloud. The girl even said that the god will save the earth. Isn't that great!"

The queen of hell subconsciously parroted someone from earlier. "Do tell. Do tell..."

Koishi giggled innocently.

"Stop that," Satori pouted, noticing the effect of her sister's odd power.

"Ugh," Orin suddenly lashed at something that flew out of the cave in annoyance. "Damn bats. Since when did when have them around here?"

An odd gleam marked Koishi's silver eyes. "Bats?" She slowly directed her gaze at Orin. "Orin... did you say... bats?"

The ghastly youkai's gaze was unnerving to Orin. "Uh, yea. Bats. There's been a few of them showing up in Chireiden lately. Which is odd because we never had bats around before."

Koishi Komeiji looked noticeably pale now. "Bats... oh no..."

Even though Satori could no longer read Koishi's heart she didn't have to be telepathic to know that her little sister was visibly scared. "Koishi? Is something the matter?"

"I may not be the smartest girl in the world but I think Koishi-sama's scared of bats," Okuu chimed the obvious. "That's kinda weird, though. I think bats are cute!"

"Bats. Okuu, have you seen them?" Koishi shuddered, gripping the much taller girl's shoulder. "They're hideous! Super creepy! Lifeless beady eyes, clawed feet, huge grotesque wings..." what Koishi did next totally shocked her sister and pets. Her face took on a disarranged look and she began flapping her arms like a terrifying, demented winged creature. "**WHOALOALOLOLOLOALALALOLA!**"

It was scary, but Koishi's bat impersonation nearly made Okuu laughed. To the raven, she sounded more like a scared turkey than a screeching bat.

"Kill them!" Koishi shrieked. "If you see a bat you must kill it! End it's life! Kill them all!"

"Koishi! Calm down!" Satori commanded, fearing that her baby sister is going off the deep end again. Deep down, she too wanted to laugh at Koishi's 'adorable' fear of bats along with Okuu. "Compose yourself! Bats aren't as bad as they look!"

"Go ahead and laugh," Koishi barked. "I can sense it boiling down deep in your subconscious!"

Okuu snorted.

"Okuu!" Satori sang in disbelief.

"Unyuu! Sorry."

Speak of the devil. Sure enough, another flying rodent emerged from the cave with it's irritating screeches. "Oh damn. There's another one," Orin pointed out.

Rivulets of tears erupted from Koishi's eyes as she took off into the forest like a bullet. "WAAAAAHH!"

**PICCHUN!**

"Girls! After her!" Satori cried. "She's heading towards the human village through the fog! We can't risk her being scared witless among humans! They will mistake her for a rampaging youkai and attack her mercilessly!"

"Right." Orin obeyed and transformed into an ordinary cat before taking off into the shrouded forest.

"Hmm!" Okuu nodded and followed suit, taking it to the skies.

After her pets departed on their search for Koishi, the ruler of hell fell on her rear and sighed pitifully. "Oh Koishi... please don't have me worrying about your safety again."

**FOREST – OUTSKIRTS OF THE HUMAN VILLAGE**

Keine Kamishirasawa couldn't believe her eyes (and that's saying a lot considering she's a native of Gensokyou). Right before her very being is a dark haired goddess of the land that she was totally unfamiliar with. The goddess, Oumoko was her name, sat proudly on a small thunderhead as if she was a haughty queen. She was honestly surprised that there were a fair number of people from the village that even gathered around for this meeting. Even Kotohime was present.

"It's an interesting tale that was written decades ago," the royal police officer said, handing an old comic book to the goddess. "The protagonist's name is Steven Strange. His monikers are 'Master of the Mystic Arts' and 'Sorcerer Supreme'. Those are not self-proclaimed, mind you. For he is a mortal that is so highly versed in arcane lore that he prevailed over eldritch abominations and even greater demons."

"Eh, that sounds like quite a hero," Oumoko replied, taking the worn out booklet from the outside world kindly. "I'll be sure to give it a read. Thank you."

"Oumoko-sama!" Teri happily yelled, gaining the goddess' attention.

The goddess' red eyes scanned the young mortal. "Yes?"

"My teacher wants to meet you," the schoolchild exclaimed as she indicated Keine.

"Teri-chan, what are you doing?" Keine whispered, unnerved for being put in the spotlight.

"Is that right?" Oumoko wondered, her curiosity piqued.

"Yes. She's a historian," Teri tattled as she grabbed Keine's arm. "She's a very interesting person and she has a lot of books that you may like to read."

Men, women, and children gazed at the schoolteacher in wonder. To be honest, this was almost too much for her to bear. "Ah... yes, I-I am the scholar and p-protector of the village," Keine stammered in vast intimidation. "But really, I-"

"Come forth," the goddess on the cloud beckoned.

Keine silently approached Oumoko with a rapidly beating heart.

"The half-youkai scholar..." the female youkai hunter from yesterday noted. The way she said it may have been with an air of disapproval.

Kotohime smirked. "This should be interesting. Relax, Akemi."

"Not really," Keine remarked, sweating bullets.

"Ah, but it is interesting," a dulcet voice sang. "For you are meeting a goddess. One of my kin."

The villagers crowed in awe at the sudden appearance of a fellow goddess. The deity emerged seemingly from the fog with a divine spirit hovering above her. "Hina Kagiyama..." Keine uttered.

A curious expression marked Oumoko's youthful face. "So? The wild woman of misfortunes has appeared. It's an honor."

"Hmm..." Hina's bedroom eyes stared at the baby-faced goddess atop of a storm cloud curiously. "Perhaps I may be wrong. I've never seen you before. Are you from the continent by any chance?" Hina's mature face was soft but her inquiry was serious.

"There's eight million of us, remember?" Oumoko commented.

"Yes, many of them are of my flesh and blood. I'm aware of that," Hina remarked cautiously. "Maybe I've miscounted during my countless years of my existence?" She held out her hands and the spirit hovered between them. The curse goddess smiled warmly at the lost soul. She gazed at the moment of it's birth, the victories and setbacks of it's life, and it's untimely death. "Oh dear. You poor thing. This little guy died of sickness many centuries ago. He was a follower of the Taoist faith. How interesting. I was ancient even back then."

Something about Hina put Keine on alert. "Kagiyama-sama, your hair," said Keine.

"Oh this?" Hina responded, grabbing a lock of her fore ponytail. It was now a gradient green-black color. "It's nothing to worry about, really. My hair turns dark when there's a vast amount of misfortune present... I presume" the curse goddess' eyes suddenly widened. "Oh dear. I hope it's not what I think it is."

There was an all-knowing smirk on Oumoko's face. "The wild woman of misfortune is about to emerge. The true face of Hina Kagiyama."

"Oh my!" Hina gasped, releasing the spirit. "How unfortunate."

Keine sighed helplessly. If they legend of Hina's dark side were true, then that means bad news for everyone. With Reimu, Marisa, Sanae, and Youmu away in order to solve the current incident, this was truly an unfortunate development. "That's what I'm afraid of..."

**END OF PROLOGUE**

**A/N: **What an unfortunate development this is. Will Kuma-Hina make an appearance in order to bring terror Gensokyou? If so, can Oumoko stop her? First of all, is she really a goddess? Here's a hint:

She's not an OC.

Yep. Pretty much poured gasoline on a raging flame, no? Plus, will Koishi overcome her silly fear of bats? Maybe, maybe not. It's hilarious.

And where's Kero-chan? Don't worry. She's up next chapter.

Comment if you like, and feel free to catch any mistakes I may haven't noticed. Koishi is stalking me...

**Next Chapter**

**Ghastly Encounter – Lovely Poltergeist**


	2. Ghastly Encounter!  Lovely Poltergeist!

What's next?

**TOUHOU PROJECT**

**PAGAN MYSTERY**

**CHAPTER I**

**Ghastly Encounter – Lovely Poltergeist**

"Well... this is odd," Minoriko noted as she entered the village along with her elder sister. "Its awfully quiet and gloomy around here. It's kinda depressing. I wonder if it has something to do with the spirits wandering among the living?"

"Ooh! Step aside, Minoriko!" Shizuha shrieked as she spotted a tree with all of it's leaves intact. She pushed Minoriko aside and pointed her index finger at the targeted tree. "Shizuha Beam~!" A thin multicolored beam shot from her pointing finger and hit the tree. The leaves of the tree suddenly faded in color and fell to the ground. "That should do it!"

The big younger sister sighed. "You scared me, Big Sis."

"Sorry about that," the older sister chuckled. "I couldn't help it, though. That was not an evergreen tree and I had to do my job."

"At least you're enjoying yourself," Minoriko commented with a sigh. She was a little disappointed because she didn't have any customers to buy some sweet potatoes from her yet. The harvest was pretty good this year (she made sure of it). The people of the village would usually approach her in throes for ripe vegetation by now. She didn't understand. "What a ghost town. Maybe I should roam around the village in search of customers."

"Or you can knock on the doors of every household here," Shizuha suggested. "Like insurance salespeople, the marusa, or the yakuza in the outside world."

"How would you know about that, Big Sis?" Minoriko wondered with a look of awe towards her ditzy older sibling. "And watch what you say. You're being careless. Again."

Shizuha blushed. "Oh! Sorry!" Soon enough, she spotted another tree that was covered with completely unblemished leaves. "Ooh! Got ya!" She fired another Shizuha Beam from her fingertip and noticed something fell along with the leaves and twigs to the ground. "Hey, what was that?"

Minoriko noticed something was among the leaves as well. "Sis, you have to be careful when you decide to zap trees. Who knows what was inhabiting it. What ever it is, its probably seriously injured." She went over to the now sub-bare tree to inspect whatever it was that fell with the leaves.

The goddess of turning leaves followed suit. "Eh Minoriko, why so frantic? I'm sure whatever it was that fell is pretty much okay. If there's anything there to begin with."

Minoriko shuffled through the pile of leaves and fished out an item. "Huh? How odd. I'm pretty sure that someone would notice that this thing's missing..."

**MYOUREN TEMPLE**

"Uwah! Oh my gosh!" Shou shrieked, disturbing the peace around Myouren (along with scaring the sleeping Nue from a tree outside the temple). "My pagoda! Its missing again!"

"Shou!" Nazrin screeched in frustration. "For the last time, you should be more careful with that thing! See if I help you find it if you lose it again!"

"Ah! I promise I won't loose it again!" Shou declared. "You have my word! I swear on the sacred grounds of this temple!"

"No! Don't swear on the temple," came Hijiri's panicking voice. "Because you're going to loose it again."

"Ugh..." Nue grunted. "That was scary. Must be that time of month..."

"Auu..." a figure beneath the nue moaned. "Get your fat butt off of me."

Nue grinned at the realization that her fall was broken. "Well now, thanks for breaking my fall, you little gremlin."

"I'm telling Hijiri," Kyouko whined.

"Whatever..."

**BACK AT THAT TREE**

"Yea, whatever..." Minoriko shrugged and tossed the jeweled pagoda away like an Xbox 360. "I guess that was a false alarm."

"Meow."

"Look Sis!" Shizuha exclaimed. "It's a cat!"

Minoriko gave Shizuha a flat look. "I see that, Captain Obvious."

"Well, knowing that they always land on their feet then this little fella is just fine." Shizuha giggled, very proud of herself for explaining something that's practically common sense. She leaned forward and began baby-talking to the little black cat. "Hi there, little guy! You're such a cute little baby! Yes you are! Ooh, you're totally adorable!"

Minoriko sighed. "Shizuha..."

"Don't be afraid of me, little guy! Mama Shizuha isn't going to bite you!"

"Big Sister..."

"C'mon... c'mon... Eh hee hee hee!" Shizuha beckoned.

"Good gosh, Shizuha..."

"Meow."

"HHHHHHRRRGH!"

The harvest goddess had enough of this. "Listen Shizuha, you're wrong about two things: first, that cat's a girl. It's not a guy."

The older sibling's eyes widened in curiosity. "Really? How can you tell? You can see it's ding-a-ling from here?"

The little black cat tilted it's head. "Meow?"

Minoriko's palm went to her face in annoyance. "Never mind that! Second, that's no ordinary cat. Can't you tell?"

"Really?"

"Meow!" The cat suddenly jumped towards the sack of vegetables in Minoriko's possession and plundered a sweet potato from it. With a puff of smoke, it transformed into a humanoid girl with red hair and two sets of ears – one human, the other cat ears. "Bingo! You saw right through my disguise. Wow, you gods are really awesome, huh."

"That cat's a youkai!" Shizuha gasped, genuinely surprised.

"Of course she is," Minoriko patted her sister on the shoulders sympathetically. "Didn't you sense the youki from her?"

Confusion claimed Shizuha's features. "Youki?"

"Youkai aura, Shizuha," Minoriko grounded out. "Don't hurt yourself while thinking too hard."

"Haha. You two are hilarious." Orin guffawed as she took a bite off of the sweet potato. "To be honest, I've never expect anyone to sense my presence. None of the humans at the lake certainly couldn't sense me, nor that goddess."

"Goddess?" The Aki Sisters wondered.

"Yea, I saw a woman on a storm cloud while on my way to the village," Orin revealed. "At least, I think she's a goddess. She could have sensed me."

Minoriko bit her thumbnail in wonder. "So that explains why there's hardly anyone here at the village. And here I thought that they were scared to come out their houses because of the spirits scattering about."

"Ooh! What's her name, little youkai?" Shizuha pondered. Which is odd because Orin is taller than her.

"I... honestly wasn't paying any attention while I was there. I'm kinda in a frantic search for someone." Orin explained as she downed the last of her autumnal treat. "I'm sorry that I can't be of help right now, but... maybe you can help me."

"Sure!" Shizuha acquiesced, bearing blush spots on her cheeks. "Fire away! Maybe we can bless you while we're at it."

"Don't say that," Minoriko bemoaned. "Don't advertise our powers selfishly like that, Shizuha. Besides, blessing individual humans and youkai may very well be a little beyond our power."

"Psshaw!" Shizuha waved her hand dismissively. "Don't be so pessimistic, Baby Sister. We're gods, after all."

"Sometimes I wonder about that."

Shizuha ignored Minoriko's comment and regarded Orin again. "So, how can we help you, little youkai?"

"Have you seen a satori girl around?" Orin began. "She's bout yay high, slender, greenish-silver hair, and wears a long yellow blouse and a green miniskirt."

Minoriko gasped. Something about the kassha's description rang familiar to her but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The confusion was evidenced by the look of consternation on her face. "A... satori girl? I can't say that I saw her."

Shizuha, however, had an all-knowing expression on her face. "Do tell, do tell..."

Orin wasn't sure that the older goddess was either serious or trolling. "Uh... she's really pretty too. She also wears a sun hat and she has long legs."

"I'm afraid that I haven't seen her." Minoriko admitted.

"Ah, that's okay. She's nearly impossible to find when she vanishes anyway." Orin informed and bowed before the Akis. "Oh well, thank you for your help."

"Not so fast, little kitty." Shizuha commanded. "Maybe my baby sister didn't saw the person who you're looking for doesn't mean you can leave us in the dark. I saw her."

"What?" Minoriko spat in disbelief. "Don't be ridiculous. We only saw a few kappa and tengu on our way here."

"Really?" Orin's hope was piqued. "You saw Koishi-chan?"

"Oh-ho! She's your girlfriend I take it," Shizuha mentioned.

"No. Koishi's her name," Orin explained.

"Okay, I get it." Shizuha nodded. "Similar to a half-ghost swordsman being named Youki. Odd choice of names if you ask me."

"That's not the point!" Minoriko and Orin exclaimed simultaneously.

"Okay, okay. Relax, you two. Anyway, as for your friend, I saw her back in the Youkai Forest." Shizuha revealed. "And judging from the expression on her face, she's pretty shaken. Did something scared her?"

"Ah! You're right!" Orin gasped with wide eyes. "You DID saw her!"

"Humph. You better get a move on, then." Shizuha indicated towards the mountain in the distance. "I'm pretty sure she's heading up Youkai Mountain."

"Wait, how do you know this, Shizuha?" Minoriko wondered in awe. "I didn't see a satori girl at all. Let along anyone in a miniskirt besides the tengu females."

"Well I saw her," Shizuha countered. "She was in plain sight. How could you not notice her? She was really cute!"

"She has that effect on people, actually," Orin told the gods. "She can somehow 'hide' in plain sight and that makes her extremely difficult to find. For you to be able to sense her at all is an amazing feat in itself! I really have to thank you for your help."

Minoriko felt like she was left in the dark. "But, I didn't see any satori girl!"

"Of course you didn't." Orin and Shizuha remarked simultaneously.

"I don't need your pity." Minoriko deadpanned.

Shizuha pumped her fist in the air."Well what are we waiting for? Let's go to the mountains and find Koishi!"

**SKIES ABOVE GENSOKYOU**

Aya Shameimaru scoured the evening skies while jotting info on her notepad. Every since the presence of the divine spirits throughout Gensokyou, the reporter has been on the ball. Throughout her long seventeen years of life there were numerous accounts of the dead returning to the realm of the living, but never before of this magnitude. On top of that, the fears of the world's imminent end were more fuel to the fire that is the Bunbunmaru's upcoming issue. The tengu was probably the only one in Gensokyou that was in a very good mood right now. There was nothing that can wipe that huge smile off her face. "Alright! This is going to be the hottest issue yet!" She beamed, pocketing her notepad. "Now to hightail it to the press and make history!"

Unfortunately for Aya, her mood was suddenly shattered. A sharp pain from above invaded her back. "Ayayaya~!" She whined as she was being driven to the earth. Aya's attacker managed to make a small crater on the ground out of her. "Ugh... that really hurt," she whined, crawling out of the hole in the shape of her silhouette. "What was that all about?"

Long brown hair in twin-tails, dark eyes, white blouse and the familiar checkered miniskirt, Aya glared at her young rival. "Aya SHAMEimaru..." her assailant growled.

"You..." Aya spoke in a dark tone. There was only one person in this entire realm that can make her angry from the get-go. Only one individual in existence that can make Aya have flashbacks of her days as a revered, feared, and highly adept soldier. She was going to remind this fool that she was one of the most powerful youkai on this side of Yukari and Yuuka. "Hatate, what the hell?"

"Don't you 'what the hell' me, Aya," Hatate retorted indignantly with tengu brutality in her eyes. "You know what you've done!"

"Hah?" Aya drawled in confusion as she brushed dirt off her skirt. "Just... what in Suwako's name are you talking about?"

Hatate blushed in fury and pulled out an article from her shirt pocket. "THIS!"

"Hmm..." Aya stared at her handiwork from the other day; a picture of her rival photographing a certain nue bathing in the hot springs. What made the article scandalous was the fact that Hatate was crouching behind lush shrubbery, like a voyeur. "Like, what the heck is this all about! ? 'Spirit Reporter Eavesdrops Perversely On The Fantastic Undefined Woman'? That's bull-crap! Everyone knows that you're the perverted reporter, not me!"

"Hee-hing! When you're as smoking hot as I am you can get away with anything," Aya beamed, infuriating the younger tengu further. "Besides, you **were **peeping that poor nue while she was bathing. The truth couldn't have been clearer."

"Grr! That article may very well be on record, but it's not the truth!" Hatate swore, approaching Aya threateningly. "I was trying to see if she was going to assume her true form while she bathed, you idiotic old crow!"

"Rrright," Aya snickered at Hatate's humorous attempt at righteous anger. "Everyone assumes that Nue's current form is her base form. Knowing that, it might as well be her true form. Might as well say you were witnessing said form, though her ass does has a mighty nice hook to it. I don't blame you." The older tengu suddenly felt the cold vibes from her rival and noticed the black expression on her face. "Hatate?"

"You're a big fat liar, Aya." Hatate cursed with her fist clenched tightly.

"You can call me fat now but once you grow a pair of titties you'll understand," remarked Aya as her wings popped out of her back. "Now if you will excuse me I- Gyah!"

Hatate had charged and pinned the accursed Bunbunmaru reported against a tree. She lifted Aya off the ground by the collar of her shirt in fury. "Don't take me lightly, Aya! You think that you're a better reporter than me! You think that you're prettier than me! Well I got news for ya, Little Miss Yellow Journalist, you ain't crap! You're big and impossibly ugly – like a Lovecraft Monster!"

Despite struggling against the younger girl's grip, Aya smiled sardonically. "Well look what we have here? Hatate-tan's done with training bras, white panties, and suckling her mama's milk! Bravo! You've gotten so big! No longer a Mama's girl!"

Hatate shook Aya against the tree. "You smartass! Always sarcastic and biting even in the face of your fiercest adversaries!"

"It's part of my sex appeal, actually," Aya grunted. "You're pretty strong, Hatate. Freakishly so. I think its time for you to end your days as a virgin crow. You know, hook you up with a young strapping young crow so he can pop you." Aya puffed out her full lips seductively and made a popping sound. "Pop goes your-"

"Shut up!" Hatate blushed furiously. "I am not a virgin!"

Aya troll-faced. "Suuuure you aren't..."

With a grunt of frustration, Hatate tossed Aya behind her like a rag doll. The ancient reporter nearly fell in the hole again. Aya laughed. "Ooh! You're rough! So that's how it is, huh? Want me to roleplay as Tenshi while you're playing as Yuuka's sadistic ass?"

"You know what, I'm going to let you in on a little secret..." Hatate stated ominously.

Aya scoffed at the approaching spirit reporter. "What secret? You're a lesbian and you have the hots for me? That's no big secret. Everyone wants a piece of the Shameimaru Special. Even humans!" She gathered herself on her knees.

"Arrogant as always," Hatate cracked her knuckles indignantly. "Well, here's my secret: I've contemplated killing you. Like, I'm seriously thinking about putting an end to your ostentatious life. Of course, this isn't the first time, ya know."

"Ooh, I'm scared," Aya grinned. "This isn't the first time someone wants to kill me. You wouldn't believe how many death threats I get in the mail. I wouldn't be surprised that some of them come from you."

Hatate now stood before the kneeling Aya. "I wonder... like, since you were a big-time top ranking warrior among our race I'm curious if people actually resent you. You fought in wars, trained elites, killed many enemies, and struck fear in the hearts of all beings that were not gods. I can kill you now and no one would miss you. Many may even say 'well it was bound to happen' and actually start to feel sorry for your has-been ass."

"Muder, huh? A permanent one?" Aya's interests was piqued. This was the most intimate moment that she has ever had with Hatate. To be honest, Hatate's anger and cruelty was turning her on. _Maybe I should stop hanging around Tenshi when she visits the Hakurei Shrine? Yea, her insanity is rubbing off on me._

Hatate grabbed Aya's collar again, this time with one hand. She lifted the larger woman off her feet once again. "Yep. Murder. That's what she wrote."

"Hatate... you've really grown, huh? You're passed your first bleed and now you're thinking of killing lil ol me," the older tengu grinned before her face darkened. "But I know that you're not going to do it. Murder someone is **far **easier to do in the mind than actually committing it in real life. It's easy to kill a person but its not easy to **kill **a person, as in taking a life by your own hands. Think about it. Marinate on that. Murder was my way of life once upon a time and I am absolutely certain that you don't want me to go all nostalgic on you."

Hatate clenched her teeth, appearing as an angry beast. "Grr... I hate you."

"That's what nutty-buddies do, Hatate. That's the way it is. Very tsundere of you, Hata-tan."

"Eeii!" Hatate cried as she brought her knee to Aya's crotch severely, emitting a smack sound.

The eyes of the older tengu dilated in pain."Urgk!"

"Jerk!" Hatate kneed Aya's nether region again.

"Kyah!" Aya shrieked and sledged Hatate thrice with her fists. Hatate was knocked towards the tree while gasping in surprise. She didn't even saw the older incoming blows. It didn't make sense! All Hatate knew that Aya was attempting to tenderize her the hard, old-fashioned way. Her sight slightly reeling, Hatate settle her eyes on the now standing older reporter. She noticed the dark expression on Aya's face and cringed at the sight of her demonic clenched fists. Aya had small hands but they seem to grow large once they were in fists. She wanted to run away at the sight of those huge white knuckles. "Nobody kicks me in the cooch. Twice. That's going to far Hatate – even for you."

At Aya's cold tone, her bravado began diminishing. "Screw you!"

Aya squared her shoulders and took a fighting stance, raising her pale-colored demons. "You wanted to confront me, here I am. You wanted to test the woman in me, come on and get your tail feathers kicked!"

Hatate bore her teeth again. "AYA!"

"You're definitely trying your best to bring out the worse in me, kid." Aya growled, her tone merciless. "All this animosity over newspapers? Get the heck outta here! You call your spirit photography journalism. Don't make me laugh, Hata-tan! Its a wonder your paper can't sell! You couldn't sell shit to a fly, you loser!"

"That's it! C'mere crow-slut!" Hatate pounced on her fellow tengu like a wildcat and they next thing they knew was that they were both rolling in a Combat Cloud... or a Fog of Fisticuffs. Maybe I should copyright those names... Anyway! Hatate delivered a headbutt to Aya's forehead and Aya retaliated by smashing Hatate's eardrums. Its obvious that there are some bad blood between the two. It was on like a Facebook war... only with the girls having the balls to get into each others' face.

"I hate you! You crazy skank!" Hatate roared.

**BOP!**

"Well its mutual, toots! Eat an aspirin with rice and die!" Aya whack-attacked.

**PAP!**

"You big fat Cthulhu-looking ho!"

**WHAP!**

"Ya retarded, tit-less trick!"

**WHOMP!**

After nearly half an hour of beating the Suffering Shanghai out of each other, both tengu were sitting on the ground – winded. Though... they were still mean-muggin' one another. Hatate, with several bruises on her body thought, _You just wait Aya! Once I caught second wind its on! How dare you mock me while looking down upon me? ! _She stroked her now loose hair. _That dirty fighter! You wanna pull on my hair, huh? Two can play that game!_

Aya panted like an obese kid that ran a few feet. There were no noticeable damage on her body but she was stripped down to a black halter-top and a pair of pink boyshorts. Rrrawr! _That little pigeon is much stronger than I thought, _she thought with an angry smile. _No matter. I love a chick that can fight. Once I catch my breath, I'm going to give her the business! I'll show her that people shouldn't mess with the pure and innocent Aya Shameimaru! Don't mess, don't mess! _The corners of her mouth curved into a malicious smile as she cackled. "Fufufufu..."

The spunky Hatate was cackling too. "Ehhehehehehe..."

"...fufufufu!... heh heh heh!..." Aya threw her head back to burst into full blown antagonistic laughter. "HAHAHAHAHA!"

"...hehehehe..." Hatate clutched her face and dementedly tilted her head. "AAAH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH!"

Heaven knows that these two need help. Seriously.

Hatate suddenly noticed that her ultimate rival was mirroring her in sinister mirth. "What the hell are you laughing for?"

The partially naked older crow grimaced as her expression shaded. "That's funny. Now I'm wondering the same thing about you. How the fuck are **you **gonna laugh when I'm doing so! ?"

Hatate charged at Aya, crying like a striking falcon.

Aya bum-rushed Hatate, making a war-yowl similar to an enraged cat.

Unfortunately... right before Hatate gets recolored black-blue and Aya loosing the very little clothes left remaining on her curvy bod, a voice said, "Unyuu! Why are you two fighting for? Enough with the bird-on-bird violence."

Hatate had Aya stretched out above her head, readying to perform a Kinniku Buster on her adversary. Aya was biting on Hatate's forearm while being held upside-down. The fanservice had to stop sooner or later... "What is it to you, huh? Who are you anyway?" Hatate demanded.

"Okuu? What are you doing here?" Aya wondered, before getting dizzy because of too much blood flooding her brain. "Uuu... I don't feel so good."

Okuu hoped from the tree she was standing on and approached the tengu. "You guys were beating the heck outta each other. Your fight was so rough that it took... took... my..." Okuu made a face of consternation, searching for something. "t-took... my... at-aten... atenchun! Yea! That's the word! ATENCHUN!"

Hatate stared at the younger girl, noticing the slip-up somehow. "Eh? Don't you mean attention? WAH!"

Before she knew it, Aya shook from her grasped and did a reversal. The next thing Hatate knew, she was pile-driven on her head into a submission hold. Her long legs were kicking in the air wildly. "Do it, Okuu!" Aya yelled.

Okuu tilted her head in confusion. "Unyuu?"

"The three-count!" Aya shrieked, struggling with the raging younger tengu. "Count her out!"

"Oh! Right!" Okuu chirped and fell besides the struggling duo like a referee. She pounded her arm-cannon on the ground with each count. "One! D-do... doo-doo?"

"Hurry up, Okuu!"

"Ah! One! D-duex... right?"

"Damn it, Okuu!" Aya cursed as Hatate broke free.

"I'm sorry!" Okuu whined.

"Eeiiii!" Hatate grabbed Aya from behind while crossing her rival's arms. She flexed backwards with a screaming Aya in her grasp. The older tengu's head met the ground with a painful sounding 'thud'. Judging from the hell raven's cringe, that crucifix suplex looked like it really hurt. Hatate faced the younger girl and shouted, "Do it! Say 'one-two-three'!"

"Umm!" Okuu declared with happy stamps on her cheeks. "One! Two! Three!"

After the three-count, Hatate released Aya from submission. "Yes! I won!"

"No way," cried the virtually naked Aya. "It can't be!"

Okuu grabbed the arm of the bruised victor and held it up triumphantly. "Yea! How you like me now, Aya! ?" Hatate laughed. "In your face!"

The expression on the older girl's face told her rival that this wasn't over. "Tch! You got lucky!"

Hatate grinned and held out her free hand while head-tilting with a roll of her neck. "Whatever! Like, talk to the hand! Ha ha ha!"

While the author does not condone violence among the tengu... he does, however, find it extremely hilarious. And sexy. Oh well... on to the next scene before PETA notices this. Hating on a Mario game... What has the world come to?

**FOREST – HUMAN VILLAGE OUTSKIRTS**

Keine's palms were sweaty. Her heart was beating rapidly. She shifted her gaze between the two goddesses, one who is apparently a reemerged deity from obscurity and the other a wild woman of misfortunes (with a far greater affinity to manipulating fate than a certain gypsy vampire). Oumoko, the woman seated on a thunderhead with a childlike face, stared at her fellow goddess with great interest. Hina, the mysterious woman with immense potential, may very well reveal a new (sinister) side of her in mere moments. The tales of Hina's alter-ego were legendary. Who will witness the dark side of fate? Whose life is about to be changed forever in the upcoming turn of events. "What brings you here this evening, Kagiyama-sama?"

Hina swiveled on her boots and faced the taller woman. "The reason for my presence, you say? Why... I came here to meet Oumoko-san. I'm just as curious about her as the rest of you."

"Yes, it looks like I'm causing quite a commotion today," commented Oumoko.

"Indeed," Hina sang. "I've always wanted to meet more of my kind. Every since I was a child many eons ago, I wondered about the many deities that disappeared throughout the years. I was especially curious about my fellow curse gods. To think that there's hardly any of us left in this realm and yet, one of them – the child goddess in the mountain perplexes me. Long before I even existed, she ruled a kingdom of curse deities... which is ironic since she's not really a curse goddess herself."

"You mean Moreya?" Keine said. "Yes, the historical accounts of her prime is vague but I do believe that Suwako's among the first generation of gods. Its highly likely that her legacy was well known long before the first Child of Miare existed."

The entire crowd of human villagers remained silent. They were certainly glad that their scholar guardian and the goddess were talking about Suwako. They wondered about the highest of the native gods too. She was the ultimate irony... and it was mind-boggling. "So... what does the loli-frog has to do with this?" Kotohime wondered, breaking the silence.

That was a good question. _What indeed... _thought Keine.

Hina paced in small circles, her hair growing darker by the second. "What Moreya has to do with this?" She stared at the cumulus deity. "I would like to know if you were among the elder gods of this continent. I'm also curious about what kind of deity are you. Are you... a curse goddess like me? Were you among the ranks of the Mishaguji like my ancestors?"

Oumoko's intense red eyes slowly closed in contemplation. "I... have no idea, actually."

Everyone gasped. Even Hina.

Keine swiveled on her feet to face the cloudy god, her generous chest bouncing slightly. "What do you mean by that? If you don't mind, please explain."

Oumoko crossed her arms. "Well for starters, thanks to the new abundance of faith around here, I apparently returned to this realm. While I'm uncertain about what type of god I am, but I'm sure that I can save this land. Perhaps I am a curse good, perhaps not. I _do_ know that I am powerful... and during these dark times both humans and youkai seek spiritual refuge in the arms of divinity."

Hina nodded. "I see..."

Keine prodded her chin in thought. "The spirits... the fears of a dying world... scattered faith..."

"There's nothing to fear, scholar. Everyone should rejoice," Oumoko stated, piquing hope among the villagers. "The world is not coming to an end. Put your fears to rest for I am here to save this realm along with the other gods. You have never had a friend like me."

"Oh dear..." Hina sang as a group of spirits hovered around her. "Sickness. Murdered during wartime. Death by immeasurable sadness. How sad... So much misfortune during their brief lives. Fate is cruel." The nagashii-bina deity appeared very sad. "I grieve for these lost souls. Every last gleaming spirit present tells a tragic story. Their search for peace continues..."

"I... got something in my eyes..." Kotohime sniffed, raising a sleeve of her kimono over her face.

Teri shared the same sentiments, teary faced. "Gosh... my heart is bleeding right now."

Keine understood the sadness. She was real familiar with the gloominess of it all. Terrible melancholy ached her heart when she thinks of her best friend, Moukou Fujiwara. It pained her to think of the future sometimes. Keine knew that she will have to leave this world someday. She accepted that. But the hard part is that she has to leave Moukou behind to face the realities of this cruel world for eternity. Moukou's life _was_ hell. And the endless purgatorial flames was the very fluid that flows in her veins that granted her incredible power. Death will never claim the phoenix. Death... that dreaded and looming fate was inevitable. Keine wondered that even in death will her heart feel pain knowing that the immortal will sob over her grave. With Keine gone... Moukou will have no one left. How hard will she cry once Keine's head turn cold? The scholar was the closest thing to being a relative to Moukou. Their rare type of bond was closer than that of blood relatives. When Keine dies...

All there is left is only one person...

Kaguya Houraisan. The devil herself.

Keine didn't hate Kaguya for what she (inadvertently) did. She couldn't hate her. Their spiral of endless self-destruction began long before she was born. All the scholar could do to help is to be the voice of reason towards Moukou and the same can be said for Eirin Yagokoro towards Kaguya. Although admittedly, Keine did hated Eirin once. Yet, hating the good doctor was foolish of her. Eirin was an evolutionist, a benevolence to her society. The Lunarian society would be nothing without her. Eirin's legendary intellect lead her race to prosperity. It couldn't be helped. The Lunarians saw fit in order to use her mind to advance their civilization. The doctor was noted by many to be omniscient – even going as far to say that she has the mind of God Himself. With that in mind, the doctor had a unbelievably tremendous burden to bear, and she earned Keine's sympathy. Keine has sympathy for the Lunarian Princess as well. She could write volumes of books about the tragedies of the Ethereal Beauty alone.

Kotohime's voice snapped the hanyou out of her thoughts. "I'm feeling really depressed now. Maybe I should visit the bar again? Yea... drink myself into a coma or something..."

Keine looked over to the villagers whom were weeping along with their curse goddess. She can understand the sentiments about the tragic pasts of the spirits but life goes on (as Oumoko assured). If the gods are going to save the world... then why everyone seem so sad right now? The scholar was rather curious about it all. She decided to give the goddesses of Youkai Mountain a visit later on. Maybe they can provide the answers that she seeks.

Hidden among the treetops in the distance, Hatate was crying. "Like, oh my goodness, everyone seems so sad over there." She sniffed, the cellphone recording new footage in her shaky hands.

"Yea, I saw the humans hanging around the cloud girl while I was looking for Koishi," said Okuu. "I had to stop here and see what was going on."

"Ooh! That must be the new goddess everybody's talking about?" Aya wondered, coming out of nowhere. She was still sub-nude. "What a scoop!"

"Kyah! You scared me!" Hatate bemoaned. "And find some clothes to put on!

Aya ignored her and took photos with her camera. "I wonder what they're talking about? I'm willing to bet that its about the ghosts being seen everywhere." She sat down on a big limb in Indian style. "Maybe I should go down there and interview her. With a young, pretty face like hers I bet she's really chic."

Hatate gave the elder bird a flat glare. "You have to be kidding me. I know damn well you're not going down there while indecent."

Aya stared at her rival for a moment, showing off her pearly whites. "You mad, ho? Besides, I didn't tore off my clothes. You did."

"Tch!"

"I'm sure that they wouldn't mind," Aya continued, winning this battle. "After all, not to sound vain but I am a _**REAL **_good example of feminine beauty. Something you don't know about nor have... yet." She set her sights on Okuu, the largest bird in the trees. "Right, Okuu-chan? The same applies to you as well, sweetheart."

"Ooh..." the hell raven blushed. "You're embarrassing me."

Hatate took a look at the younger girl and felt small. Very small. "Whatever!"

Now both of the tengu were even. Both of them earned a victory each for today.

**GREAT YOUKAI FOREST**

**DUSK**

"It's getting late," Orin noted after hours of searching for Koishi around the mountain. She sat on a large log near a river. "Maybe I should head back to Chireiden. Tell my master the bad news. Hopefully, Koishi will return eventually."

Minoriko joined the kassha at the riverbank. "Sorry that we weren't much help. It was worth a shot, though."

"Oh! Its okay, Minoriko-sama! Really!" Orin held up her hands defensively. "I'm just glad that you guys volunteered to tag along in search of Koishi. Goodness knows that its a hard task to search for her by myself. I appreciated the help."

Minoriko dug into her bag of vegetables and handed Orin a sweet potato. "Here. For compensation for the trouble you went through."

Orin accepted the treat. "Thank you."

"Think nothing of it," Minoriko replied dismissively, scrubbing two flint stones together over a pile of twigs on the ground. "How about a little fire to warm your snack?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Hey! Little Sis! Little youkai!" Shizuha called out as she joined them by the river. "What'cha doing?"

"Warming sweet potatoes," Minoriko replied, not paying attention to her elder sister.

Orin, however, noticed something on Shizuha and her eyes widened. "Aah! That's Koishi's hat! Where did you get it from?"

Shizuha brought the brim of the hat over her eyes innocently. "Oh this? Koishi let me try it on after I've found her."

Both harvest goddess and kassha shot to their feet in disbelief. "You've found her?"

"Of course, the poor child was behind Hina's cottage while crying her eyes out," Shizuha revealed with a wave of Koishi's hat. "Walla!"

Sure enough, the silver haired satori stepped into view from around a tree. "Orin-chan? What are you doing out here?"

"Koishi-sama!"

"What in the Nameless Hill is going on?" Minoriko whined. "We've checked around Hina's cottage. There wasn't anyone present."

"You didn't looked hard enough," Shizuha giggled. "She was in a tree. Sheesh, how could you not have noticed her? She wasn't invisible."

Minoriko's mouth flew open for a retort but Orin stopped her. "Don't. Dignify. That."

"I... suppose you're right," Minoriko accepted. "You've saved me from a headache."

Orin grinned. "Don't mention it."

"Orin-chan," Koishi trotted over to Orin and gaze down a bit into her eyes. "I'm sorry from running off like that. I didn't mean to force you into searching for me again but bats are scary!"

"Oh..." Orin blushed. The fact that Koishi was now a tad taller than she was kinda turned her on. "Think nothing of it, Koishi-sama. I'm just glad that someone was able to find you."

Consternation collected in Koishi's demeanor as she gazed at Shizuha. "Just how did you find me anyway?"

"That's what I like to know!" Minoriko sang.

"What? I saw you in the tree behind Hina's house," Shizuha relayed matter-of-factually. "You're not hard to miss. You're a really pretty girl, too. Makes things easier. What was so difficult about that?"

Koishi was astonished. She didn't want anyone to find her just yet. "That's amazing! But I subconscious-" Orin's hand patted her shoulder. "Eh?"

"Don't. Dignify. That." Orin and Minoriko chorused.

Koishi nodded her agreement. "I'll take your word for it." Her eyesight shifted towards the river and noticed something flowing along the currents. "Hey, what's that?"

Everyone's attention when to the object seen in the river. Minoriko was the first to speak. "Nagashii-bina..."

"Nagashii-bina? What's that?" Orin wondered.

The pale-skinned oriental doll with dark hair and red robes slowly drifted down the river. "Curse dolls," Minoriko informed. "Dolls of misfortunes. Its a ritual of someone transposing his/her sins and misfortunes into a doll. Then the doll is tossed into a river to be carried away, supposedly getting rid of the misfortunes. The owner of the cottage we've search earlier is a yakugami named Hina Kagiyama and it's her duty to gather the misfortunes from the dolls."

"Oh!" Koishi chirped, pulling a nagashii-bina from her skirt pocket. "So that's what this is."

Orin's eyes went wide. "Koishi-sama!"

"Get rid of that doll this instant, Koishi!" Minoriko urged. "You don't want to be stricken with mass misfortune!"

"Eh! ?" Koishi gasped and chucked the doll in the river. "Well, there goes another doll for her to collect bad luck from."

"Hmm! I'll say, Hina is going to be very busy real soon," Shizuha commented as she pointed up the river. "Look!"

Sure enough, they saw many dolls flowing upstream. There were dolls of many shapes and sizes and yet the only thing they all had in common were the misfortunes they housed. This alarmed Minoriko because she has never seen so many dolls in the river at once before. Something was not right. Ghosts, unfamiliar deities, and now a mass collection of nagashii-bina... Minoriko thought they were adding up to something but she couldn't quite figure it out yet. "There's so many of them. This is the biggest handful I've ever seen."

The hellcat grew curious. "What is that suppose to mean then?"

"I... don't... know..." Minoriko answered uncertainly. She seemed unsettled, scared even.

"Ooh! Don't cha think that Hina-chan will be able to handle all that misfortune?" Shizuha wondered. "You don't think that she's gonna, I dunno, get an overdose off of it?"

Minoriko felt as though her heart fell down her ribcage and her blood ran cold. An inkling of something terrible gathered on her mind. "Don't be ridiculous, Big Sister! I'm pretty sure that Hina-chan will be able to maintain all the misfortune she's receiving this evening. At least... I hope so." _I just hope the myths about the dark side of fate isn't true..._

"Hey!" Koishi giggled while on all fours near the river. She was wiggling her ass innocently and she was blissfully unaware that her lacy panties were now on display. "That doll over there looks like Satori-chan. The pink hair is styled almost exactly like hers."

"Koishi-sama!" Orin cried. "Your panties are showing! That skirt is too short for you to kneel on the ground like that!" She ran over to the taller girl and tried to pull her skirt down to restore decency to her posterior. Unfortunately, Orin blushed in surprise due to the incredible softness of Koishi's behind. "Oh my!"

Blood trickled from Shizuha's nostrils. "What I'd tell ya," she gave a thumbs up. "She's too pretty for her own good! Look at her cute butt!"

Minoriko's palm met her face due to her big sister's perverseness. "Ugh... Shizuha..."

**MORIYA SHRINE**

Keine arrived at the shrine on the mountain. She softly landed on her feet before the torii entrance and looked around the yard for anyone present. Luckily for her, she saw the person who she was looking for. Suwako arrived from around the corner of the shrine with a large basket made of bamboo on her back. The ancient child was wearing her usual frog-printed blue skirt with a wide-sleeved cream colored shirt underneath it and she was barefooted. As always, Pyonta was on her head. Keine was glad she spotted the little goddess. She had questions to ask her. "Excuse me, Moriya-sama!"

The child's violet eyes looked Keine's way in attention. "Yes?"

Keine approached Suwako near the veranda. "Good evening," she greeted and bowed before the little deity. "I hope I didn't arrived at a bad time?"

"Oh. Of course not," Suwako replied in kind. "It was starting to get lonely around here anyway. Kanako gone to the tengu village and my grand-baby is off with her friends to solve another incident."

"Eh? Sanae's journeyed off with Reimu and the others?" Keine wondered. "The incident... does it has something to do with the spirits appearing in Gensokyou?"

"Yes, that's right." Suwako said as she unfastened the basket off her back and place it near the front door. Keine noticed that the basket was filled with different kinds of fish. "So? You seem to be a child with many questions on her mind. How can I help you?"

"Umm." Keine nodded and began voicing her thoughts to the child. "Apparently the spirits aren't the only ones that emerged around here but there also been quite a few gods showing up as well – new and old. As a matter of fact, I met one of them just now. A goddess."

"Is that a fact?" Suwako took off her hat and placed it over the basket of fish. "Is she a new god?"

"That's the reason I came here this evening," Keine explained. "The thing is, she knows that she's a god but she isn't sure what type of god she is. Let alone which generation she belongs to."

"Hmm..." Suwako sat on the veranda and wagged her small legs back and forth. "Baby, what's her name?" Her voice was that of a pubescent child but she spoke with the inflections and prose of a very old woman.

"Her name is Oumoko."

"Oh dear. Lemme think for a moment..." the loli requested, mentally trekking down Memory Lane. "Oumoko... Oumoko..." she suddenly lifted her head and stared into Keine's eyes. "Describe her. Tell me how she looks."

Keine recollected her encounter with Oumoko. "Deep red eyes... blue hair done in a high bun... has a very child-like face but far wiser than her girlish appearance suggests. In fact, she looks younger than me."

"I see, I see..." Suwako ruminated, her legs suddenly stiff. "Go on, baby. Tell me more about her."

"Ah! Right... she's very friendly with humans. She even like to receive gifts and borrow books from them." Keine continued. "She also rides on a black cloud and a translucent shawl hovers around her shoulders. She has a very heavenly appearance... like she descended onto Gensokyou from Nirvana... looks unmistakably Svargian..."

Svarga. Now that the scholar mentioned it, something occurred to her. But... it couldn't be...

"Ah!" Suwako held out her hand. "Lemme stop you right there. That sounds like Kanako. Don't tell me that she's down at the village while trying to gather mass faith from scared humans. It has to be another one of her conspiracies."

"No... it isn't Yasaka-sama, I'm afraid," Keine nodded her head in deconfirmation. "She's very young looking. I'll go as far to say that she looks like a teenager. I don't think that she's a quarter of Yasaka-sama's age."

Suwako's expression darkened. "Be a little more careful what you say, baby. I've known Kana since her very first breath."

Keine gasped, realizing her slip-up. "Yes ma'am! Please forgive me!"

"Kanako's the only god I know that has such an appearance, not too sure about any of the gods around here that bear that description," Suwako admitted, stroking an imaginary beard in a sagely manner. "None of the gods back in my day didn't either. Nor the Mishaguji..." she faced Keine again and made a suggestion. "Unless, Oumoko hails from another culture, the Netherworld, or from the very skies. Maybe she's a deity from Bhava-agra?"

The superannuate child's suggest gained some closure: the storm cloud, the red eyes, the goddess' child-like appearance. Something's adding up. "Hey... maybe you're right."

"Suwa!" Kanako announced as she appeared in the skies above the shrine. "I'm back!"

Suwako gave Keine a flat sarcastic look. "Speak of the devil. You're sure its not her?"

Keine nodded. "Positive."

"Oi, I didn't know we had a visitor," Kanako said as she landed on the ground. "Good evening, Keine-san. You're doing well?"

"Yes ma'am," Keine replied with a bow. "Thanks for asking."

"Hey Kana, heard that there's a new goddess in town," Suwako informed. "And she was gathering faith from the humans earlier. I thought it was you but Keine said otherwise."

"Eh? Is that a fact?" Kanako wondered expectantly. "Well, I'm not really surprised. Due to all the commotion going on there's bound to be a number of divine newcomers to appear. It the way things are."

"Do tell..." a wicked grin nearly split Suwako's face. "Sounds like someone I know all too well..."

The storm goddess gasped, clearly offended. "That's a mean thing to say, Suwa!"

Kero-chan troll-faced. "It is what it is."

"Bah!" Kanako pouted, balling her fists on her hips. "I'm not going to get into with you again!" She stormed into the shrine like a juvenile delinquent in annoyance. "If anyone needs me, I'll be inside my room while meditating."

A devilish cackle erupted from Suwako. "Hey Kana-chan, don't you mean the other m-word?"

An irritated yell echoed from inside the shrine. "Argh! Shut up, Suwa!"

Keine sighed. The deities of the shrine were behaving like children again. Even though they were... frienemies their rivalry was still there. It was even shockingly violent at times. They've been going at it even long before Kaguya and Moukou were conceptions in their ancestors. And with a rivalry just as fierce to boot! Keine bowed, thinking that she receive enough help from Suwako. "Ah... thank you for your help, Moriya-sama. Its best that I take my leave."

Just before Keine took flight, the little goddess gently seized one of her arms. "Hey. Wait a second."

Keine looked back at Suwako and noticed the request on her expression. "Yes?"

"There's no school tomorrow, right?"

The question caught Keine slightly off guard. "Yes, that's correct. Its the weekend."

"I see," Suwako understood. "Say... mind staying here at the shrine for tonight? My Sanae's gone on an adventure and Kana may very well meditate the whole night away. There's a whole lot on her mind. I would welcome your company if you don't have anything planned for tonight, that is. Plus, I'm about to make dinner. What do you say?"

Keine reluctantly replied. She just couldn't turn down such a warm offer from an elder. "I would love to."

**AFTER MIDNIGHT**

It was warm during the after hours, which is odd during the time of night. Even odder was the fact that its unusually warm for the middle of autumn. How the temperature is inside the shrine at the moment, one would swore that it was still the peak of summer. Besides, the clouds in the sky weren't particularly thick so it should be cooler than it is during this time of year. Suwako rolled off her bed and left her room. Even while wearing a thin halter-top and lilac colored knickerbockers she was still drenched in sweat. She wished that there were home cooling systems in Gensokyou. At the very least, the kappa are definitely working on it. They've managed to provide electricity in a few homes in a matter of months.

"Gah... its so hot," Suwako moaned. "I don't think even the devil's drawers be this hot. What is this, August?"

The blonde girl peeped inside Kanako rooms. The younger deity was still meditating, using her power to create a cool breeze in the room. Kanako was doing just fine. "Fascinatin'..." Suwako grumbled sarcastically.

She moved on and entered the den. The room was mostly dark but there was a lamp that lit a small area around the long couch. Keine was laying on the couch in deep slumber. The hanyou pedagogue was moaning blissfully in her sleep and the comforter had fell off her body. To Suwako's surprise the voluptuous woman was wearing a dark bra and a rather small pair of of side-tie panties of the same color. Suwako didn't bother thinking how in the heck did Keine fit her buxom body in such small, stylish undergarments. She was used to seeing her descendant doing so. Sanae was currently going through the same phase but to compare her to the half-beast guest was like comparing a beef-patty to a gourmet steak. "Aaa-uuu~..." Suwako muttered. "So ripe." She picked the comforter off the floor and covered it back on Keine's body. She went over to a window and opened it in order to allow a breeze in the room. She didn't want Keine to feel stuffy while she slept.

The little deity heads for the kitchen and heard something before she opened the door. "Ahhn..."

"What the," Suwako whipped her attention back towards Keine. "Don't tell me..."

Keine shuddered as a sensual moan escaped her. "Hold me... tight... Rinnosuke..."

Suwako wanted to laugh. "She's sleep-talking."

"Love... love you..." Keine continued. "I love... you so... much... Rinnosuke..."

Suwako's hand flew over her mouth in order to suppress a giggle. "The hanyou-child owner of the shop, eh?"

"You're mean... Rinnosuke..." Keine turned in her sleep, the comforter hitting the floor again. "Moukou... is... my best friend... Of course I love... her."

"My goodness. Its a confession." Suwako noted and entered the kitchen. "Now to get something to drink. I'm parched." She opened a small icebox and took out a bottle of cold spring water. She took a good swig after opening the bottle. "Aah," she exhaled. "That's what I needed."

"Hold me..." the were-hakutaku's voice sang from the den. "I'm so scared..."

Suwako noticed the tinge of fear in her guest's tone. Maybe she was having a nightmare? "She'll be okay," Suwako said to herself as she gulped down the remains of the water bottle. "Whatever doesn't kill her will only make her stronger."

She heard Keine's pleading voice again. "Help... me... Please help... me"

Suwako's concern grew at the rising urgency of the hanyou's voice. Maybe the nightmare was a lot more sinister than she thought. She dumped the empty bottle in a trash container and returned to the den. Keine had subconsciously removed the comforter off her body again. This time she was curled up on the couch like a fetus – shivering. Her left aureola was partially visible from her bra and her strong legs were folded. Keine's mouth was slightly open and there was a very trouble expression on her sleeping face. "Scared... stay... away from me..."

"Poor baby..." Suwako uttered and laid the comforter on Keine once more. Keine snuggled subconsciously under the smooth fabric and Suwako suddenly had an overwhelming urge to kiss the hakutaku's forehead. There was something about her that made the ancient child think of a very mature Sanae. But she knew Keine was almost old enough to be Sanae's mother... with her being a little over a decade her senior. It was rather cute actually. "Well, I'm off to bed. Hopefully you will be able to overcome your fears tonight, child."

Keine twisted again. "Uuuugh..."

Suwako sauntered off to her room, feeling refreshed. But... just as she was about to resume her good night's slumber, she sensed something. There was an unmistakable vibe in the shrine. A presence. What was it? Could it be her imagination? It... felt like a chill that was even colder than Cirno on one of her good days. "Whoa..."

"Moreya-sama..."

Suwako whipped her visage to the now awake were-hakutaku. "Keine?"

Keine stood up from the couch, her fertile body being displayed by the glow of the stars in the sky which illuminated through the window. "You're... up Moreya-sama..." Keine murmured and place a hand to her temple. "Something's... wrong..."

"You felt something weird too?" Suwako hopped on the small table in the den and crouched like a frog. "I knew it."

Keine appeared feverish. "I don't feel... so good..." She suddenly hung her head. "Ghh..."

"What's wrong, baby? You're coming down with something?" Suwako surveyed, placing her hands on Keine's bare shoulders. The hanyou's skin felt cold to the touch but her head radiated excessive heat. "Aaa-uuu... lay back down. I'm going to whip you up something in the kitchen to relieve your fever."

Keine parted her full lips and raised her head to look the little goddess in the eyes. "Okay."

That's when Suwako knew something was wrong with her guest. "Keine! Your eyes are glowing!"

Keine's eyes were glowing bright green. "Whatever do you mean?" She asked innocently.

"Something's weird is going on here!" Suwako declared. "Who are you? I knew I felt a presence!"

The were-hakutaku's innocent facade disappeared to be replaced by a very mischievous smile. "Aw! You've figured it out. You're sharp, little girl!" Keine cackled in a dark tone.

"Fiend!" Suwako swore. "Leave that child's body at once! RRRGGH!" She leaped at the possessed hakutaku after a high-pitched shriek.

"Ugh!" Keine grunted as Suwako latched unto her like a leech while pulling her hair. "Get off of me ya little pipsqueak!"

"NEVER!" Suwako roared, delivering an eye-gouge to the poltergeist and forcing her to the floor. The next thing they knew, they were literally rolling on the ground. "Give it up!" Keine tried to get back on her feet with the crazy little deity wrestling her but she fell near the sofa. The struggle was like something similar to a rodeo.

"No way!" Keine denied, rolling on top of Suwako and placing both her hands around her neck. "I'm not going to make this easy, you midget! Gonna choke you til you pass out!"

"Urgk!" Suwako struggled with the ghost's vice-grip around her neck. Ghost Keine has proven herself to be surprisingly strong. With no other option left to her, Suwako resorted to giving the ghost a kick to Keine's flat stomach. "Eii!"

Ghost Keine stumbled backwards and fell on her rotund butt. "Oww! That hurt, you cheap-shot! You don't hit a woman on her stomach!"

"How can you say that when that body is not yours?" Suwako demanded and sprang at the spook again. She grasped her arms around the back of the assailant's neck, forcing the possessed woman to stumble around the den while knocking stuff over during the scramble. Their skirmish caused the table to topple over, family photos shattered on the floor off the walls, the bookshelf fell, and the HD television hit the ground with a resounding thud. The den now looked as though a tornado ran through it.

Ghost Keine managed to break free from Suwako's hold and toss her out the front door into the night air. Suwako slid on her face when she hit the ground. She quickly recovered from the brutal inertia because she knew the ghost was perusing her. "Auu! What a revolting development this is!"

"Ooh! What's this? A hakutaku, eh?" Ghost Keine cooed at the doorway. "This is a pleasant surprise."

At that statement, Suwako snapped her gaze at the indecent demoniac woman. Keine now sported her trademark horns, and large bushy tail. This isn't good! "Shit!" Suwako cursed and gazed at the sky. Oddly enough, there was no full moon. So how did Keine managed to transform to her fierce alter-ego? It didn't made sense! "How did you do that? Its not the night of the full moon! That's the only time she takes that form!"

Ghost Keine giggled. "Let's just say that I bring the worst out in people. Now... let's get back to our battle. This is for enlightenment!"

Kero-chan was caught off guard at the ghost's motive. "Enlightenment?" Unfortunately, she didn't have time to ponder this because the ghost charged at her. Being a master of Aikido, she took a wide stance as Keine closed in on her with her horns forward. Suwako swayed to her left and grabbed the hakutaku's arm, using the momentum to lift Keine over her head and tossed her several feet away from her. Ghost Keine displayed an impressive feat of agility as she somersaulted in mid-air and landed on all fours from the throw. She was crouched low like a jungle cat, grinning at the little goddess.

"Nice try." Ghost Keine taunted. "You actually caught me by surprise."

"There's more of that where that came from," Suwako rebutted. "But I don't want to hurt you. Well – I don't want to hurt that child you've possessed."

"Just... who are you, little girl?" Ghost Keine asked with interest. "I've recently met a young woman earlier and she mentioned this place. The filly foolishly proclaimed the shrine she represented. A shrine maiden who is getting herself into a world of trouble along with her companions."

Worry overtook the diminutive deity. "What have you done to them? Where's Sanae-chan?"

"Don't you worry about that," Keine laughed as she got back on her feet. "What matters now is the fight between us!"

Suwako frowned. "You are a despicable vengeful spirit. Cowardly! Using the girl's body as an avatar in order to carry out your fiendish deeds!"

The spirit caused Keine to frown. "Bold words for a mere child. You're definitely wise beyond your age, little one."

Suwako smirked despite herself. "Oh, you don't know the half of it. I've heard those very words and faced the same bravado many times. If I'm just a child then come on out and face me. Fight me like a woman!"

"Now where's the fun in that?" Ghost Keine snickered. "Children are meant to be disciplined and frightened."

"Big talk for someone who lurks in the dark."

"On the contrary, those that lurk in the dark and the unknown are fearless," the spook parried. "You would be right to be afraid of such a person. I am the boogeyman, little girl. You scared?"

"Not at all, but you should be scared of me, considering who you're dealing with.," Suwako warned. "You don't know me very well, do you?"

"Tch! A pissy little brat with a smart mouth," Keine sneered.

"Wrong! Nice try, though. But I hate to tell you this... but you are already in trouble. Observe." Suwako began doing hand-signs, spiritual mudras (not jutsu). Her adversary felt a apparitional disturbance all of a sudden. "Feeling something?"

Keine brought her hand to her head, dizzy. "Hey. What are you doing?"

"Taking out the trash."

Keine stumbled forward with an weary, awkward gait. "No. Stop that! I'm not going to let you do that!"

"We'll see."

The eerie glow from Keine's eyes disappeared for a brief moment. "Moriya-sama?"

"Shush child," Suwako continued. "You're stricken by an evil spirit."

"Yes...I can feel it..." Keine breathed. "I'm scared..." The glow in her eyes suddenly returned. "An exorcism! I'll make you pay for that!" Ghost Keine charged forward and Suwako performed a classic judo take-down just as she closed in on her. Suwako wrapped her arms around the phantom's neck once again. "Let go of me!"

"Not a chance!" Suwako declared. "I'm ridding this child of you!"

Keine's persona reappeared on the surface of her consciousness. "What are you doing?"

"Relax baby!"

The spook resurfaced, shaking violently in Suwako's grasp. "Damn you! I'm not making this easy for you! I refuse to do so!"

"Moriya-sama," Keine gasped. "It hurts!"

"Auu! You leave me no choice!" Suwako swore and reluctantly raised her hand and striking Keine gently on the back of her neck. The practically nude hakutaku went limp her arms, unconscious. "Now to finish what I've started!"

A faint aura appeared around Keine's body and a disembodies voice shrieked, "No! No way! AAAHRGH!"

"Come on out and play!" Suwako laughed, making a pulling motion with her right hand.

"Not fair! You cheater!" The poltergeist screamed, emitting a sound that was equivalent to a feminine version of Captain Falcon's death-cry. "OOOOHHUUUUUEEEERRGH!" Soon enough, a formless ectoplasmic being egressed from Keine's body. It was green in color and it was trying to make it's escape. "I'm outta here!"

"Oh no you don't! You're mine!" Suwako declared, grabbing the fleeing ghost by it's... tail. The ghost continued trying to escape but her body did a rubber band effect while doing so. The green spirit struggled so hard that she was a long as the Moriya yard and stairway path combined! She was at least several yards long by now. "You're not getting away!" Suwako gave the ghost a final yank.

"WAH!" The ghost retracted in defeat and slang into the tree behind Suwako, becoming a green mess on it. "Uuuuhhh..." the mess oozed onto the ground into a green puddle.

"Aha!" Suwako laughed at the goop triumphantly. "What do you have to say for yourself now?"

"Grr!" The goop suddenly bubbled violently and took form. The formless eventually obtained form. And what a form it was! The final result was that of a particularly fair girl with short light green hair, wide dark-green eyes, and a small heart-shaped face. She wore a kanmuri-designed headpiece and was clothed in a dark green dress with semi-tight sleeves with ofuda along the bottom of it. She was of a decent size and build, considerably larger than Suwako. Protruding from underneath her dress were two translucent ghost tails. "You damn fool," she snarled.

Suwako stroked her chin while staring at the mischievous spirit. "Well well well, the plot thickens," she grinned. "Or... has it?"

The cute phantom pouted and clenched her fists in annoyance. Sparks of electricity crackled around her body sporadically like an electric insulator. "You..." she pointed towards the little goddess dramatically. "I'll take you on!"

**END OF CHAPTER ONE**

**A/N: **Incredibly hard to imagine the confrontation at the shrine. Had to delete the scene _three _times to finally get what I wanted. The results: Tojiko being extremely ghost-like as possible.

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgivings Day (for those who celebrate it)! And please be careful on this Black Friday. Hectic and unnecessarily chaotic day.

Now... back to KOF XIII and Tekken Hybrid for the rest of my time off. The next chapter may very well be the final one. I'm sure some of you may probably know who Oumoko is by now. Anyway, comment, review (if ya want) and check out the Let's Danmaku forum and stuff. I'll see ya later.

Peace.

**Next Chapter**

**What You Will See – Heavenly Oneirism**


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